Domestic Bliss
by R.J. Ames
Summary: Aethyta is in the mood, Benezia isn't. Takes place during Benezia's pregnancy. Kmeme fill, One-shot.


**Disclaimer**

I do not own any of the characters or storylines from the Mass Effect Universe.

**Author's Note**

**[****Warning: **contains description of female **masturbation**.**]**

This was my first kmeme fill, and despite the warning, it's described from the perspective of a character not really turned on, which I think lessens the whole 'this is a story about someone masturbating' thing. If that makes sense...

Original prompt: "I'd love a story where one half of the couple isn't up for full-on sex (particularly of the marathon type that so often graces this kinkmeme :-) The reason is entirely up to a!a, maybe they are just too tired, or injured, or just not in the mood for whatever reason.

However, instead of completely refusing the hot-to-trot partner, the not-in-the-mood partner encourages her/him to take care of herself/himself while they are together. Use of toys, porn, other stimuli is encouraged. Very low key participation from the non-active partner is cool. Maybe some dirty talk, light touching, or just holding the other person while they masturbate - something to help the active partner get off, but nothing too involved or strenuous."

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Benezia was beginning to understand why matriarchs typically did not get pregnant. Her whole body ached, her biotics were spotty—and the fatigue! This very afternoon, even though she had been afraid she would not be able to pull it off at all, she had made a simple demonstration of combat manoeuvres to her newest acolytes, only to find that she had had to excuse herself quite abruptly before collapsing into a chair in the privacy of her own quarters.

But she would not be seen shirking her duties as a matriarch, pregnancy or not. So she had called in her closest acolytes, telling them to fetch the rest, and had decided to read to them from ancient scripture. It was perhaps not a significant part of the most avant-garde pedagogy, but she had thought it would give her mind and body time to recover, and her acolytes would be learning something, at least.

There was, in the end, only so much she could do when her whole body seemed intent on being so uncooperative. She had been careful to keep the last of her acolytes for what she felt was a justifiable amount of time, but was without question relieved to be finally left alone.

Her relief, however, was muted somewhat by the fact that she had still not fully recouperated from her little biotic display, coupled with the realisation of just how far such a simple thing had set her back in her work. And as she now stepped into the tub, after having had a simple dinner having drawn herself a bath, she sighed.

Benezia closed her eyes and leaned back in the tub, unconsciously draping a protective hand over the swell of her belly under the water. As she soaked in the hot bath, she knew she needed this time to relax and she resolved to push all thought of work out of her mind, if only for a while. She let the heat ease the tension in her muscles, and although she was not yet far along in her pregnancy, her joints were grateful for the weightlessness the water provided. She took a few deep, calming breaths.

But her peacefulness was disturbed when the sound of a door slamming somewhere deep inside the house echoed in the hall outside the bathroom's open door. It was the telltale sign Aethyta was back home. While she wasn't quite ready to leave the relaxation of the bath, Benezia certainly didn't want to give Aethyta any ideas; she knew from experience that Aethyta joining her in the bath would mean much more of a workout than she was up to tonight. So she stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself, and quietly padded down the hall to their bedroom.

Benezia dressed into one of her more conservative nightgowns and got into bed. She was sitting up, datapad in hand, working on the guest lecture she was to give at the University of Serrice the next day when Aethyta came in and flopped onto the bed next to her.

"How are my girls doin'?" Aethyta said as she crawled over to Benezia, placing a kiss on her belly before rising to kiss her cheek.

"She's doing just fine, and I guess I've been worse," Benezia answered, running a hand along her stomach a little distractedly as she set her datapad briefly down on the bed beside her and gave Aethyta a weak smile.

"Nezzy, you've gotta take a rest every once in awhile. I know you like working hard, but now you've got our daughter to think about, too," Aethyta said, lying down on her side and propping her head up on her hand.

Benezia was unimpressed with the turn in conversation. "How was your day?" she asked, wanting to change the subject more than anything else.

Aethyta's mood became slightly darker. "I ran into Matriarch Eirene at the guildhall and we had a little talk. She was giving me the same old load of crap about how I'm stirrin' up too much trouble—I guess _some _of the matriarchs didn't like my last little talk to the commandos. I told her that if she thought _that _was something, she should come to the next one. I can raise one helluva shit storm if I want to, I said, so I told her that while she was at it, she should take that stick out of her ass before I get really pissed."

"You didn't," Benezia said.

Aethyta looked unapologetic. "I did. I even gave her suggestions of where she should shove it instead."

Benezia shook her head slightly, feeling that Eirene did probably deserve to have someone put her in line, but knowing that this meant that she would have to smooth things over and apologise for Aethyta's rudeness. Yet another thing to add to her ever-growing list of tasks.

If Benezia was being honest with herself, the fire and spunk that had initially attracted her to Aethyta over a century ago was now becoming quite a nuisance—and maybe even a political liability. But she loved her. They loved each other. That's all that really matters. Isn't it?

"Hey, what's wrong? You look stressed," Aethyta said gently as she traced little circles around the swell of Benezia's belly.

"I have just had a long day, that's all," she answered, Aethyta's words pulling her out of her distracted ruminations. She reached over to Aethyta to reassure her, caressing her cheek and running her thumb along her high cheek bones.

Benezia could only assume that when she was lost in her musings, Aethyta had gone off on her own (very different) trail of thoughts, because when she looked into Aethyta's eyes she saw a longing and lust that surprised her. Aethyta slid up the bed and leaned in to give her a long, lingering kiss. Benezia allowed the kiss to go on for a bit longer than she had intended, finding the familiar taste of the inside of Aethyta's mouth strangely relaxing. She felt Aethyta's hand run along her side, pulling her nightgown around with it. The feeling of being wanted—of someone wanting her body—was comforting to Benezia, especially at the end of a day that left her feeling so... old.

But then Aethyta brought her hand lower, searching below the covers to sneak under the hem of the nightgown, just as she began to kiss the folds of Benezia's neck. Benezia perhaps knew that this attempt was inevitable, and she chastised herself for allowing things to get even this far, knowing full well that she was not up to doing what Aethyta had in mind. She wondered if she should have just stayed in the bath—it would have been just as well to turn her down there as it would in their own bed.

Not wanting to lead her lover on any further, Benezia lightly took hold of Aethyta's roving hand, bringing it back out into the safety of the open air. "Not tonight," she tried to say as gently as possible.

"Nezzy, just relax. It seems like we both need a bit of stress relief," Aethyta said, moving in again to nip at Benezia's neck, but willing to keep her hand above the covers.

That was Aethyta: thinking every problem can be fixed with either fighting or sex. She was so wonderfully uncomplicated. There were even times when Benezia thought that perhaps Aethyta really did have it all figured out.

But this was not one of those times. She was tired and very much not in the mood, and her lecture wasn't going to prepare itself if she and Aethyta were embracing eternity.

Benezia pulled away slightly once more, and rest a warning hand on the front of Aethyta's shoulder. "No, really. I still have work that must be done for tomorrow. You understand," she said as she picked up her datapad as if that settled the matter completely.

But Aethyta gave her a look that said both that she definitely did not understand and that she was still undeniably turned on.

Not about to give up, Aethyta allowed her hand to once again roam Benezia's body. "I can be a quick lay. I've had centuries to perfect my technique—I bet I can make you come in under five minutes," she said in what was a clear, if somewhat misguided, attempt at seduction.

Benezia sighed inwardly. "As…tempting as that is, I really do have to work," she insisted, but the sad look of rejection on Aethyta's face tugged at her heart. "I am sorry. Any other night, I'm yours," she said, trying to soften the blow

"Fine. I'll get over it," Aethyta said in a bit of a huff.

No, this will not do. Aethyta in a hissy fit was definitely much worse (and more distracting) than Aethyta trying to get laid. Benezia had to rectify the situation, and fast. "Pleasure yourself for me, then," she said, knowing that Aethyta often responded best to straightforward direction.

"Hmph," Aethyta said as she sat back and crossed her arms, not saying another word. But she had narrowed her eyes as she looked at Benezia, mulling over the thought in her mind. Benezia waited.

"Here?" Aethyta asked.

"Where else?" Benezia answered.

"You'll watch?" Aethyta asked, eyes still narrowed in thought.

"Well, I'll be here," Benezia said. She did have work to do after all.

But it seemed that that was good enough for Aethyta, because in that instant, she made up her mind, turning her back to Benezia, gesturing at the fastening at the back of her dress.

That had been easier than Benezia thought. She gladly undid the dress, and settled back into the propped up pillows, finally able to turn her attention to her datapad once again. She was glad that Shiala was taking care of her transportation to Serrice in the morning—at least that was one less thing to worry about.

"Take that off."

Benezia raised her eyebrow markings slightly as she looked up from her work. Aethyta was now sitting naked right in front of her, legs wide open, bodyweight shifted back to rest on one elbow as she gestured with the other hand at Benezia's nightgown.

"I wanna see your tits."

Benezia only hesitated for a moment before pulling off the nightgown. In the end, she thought it wouldn't be that bad if Aethyta just looked. She had, in fact, always enjoyed Aethyta's obsession with her breasts. Not that it was something new to her—ever since she had hit the matron stage, her various lovers had all had similar reactions. It didn't matter if they were asari, turian, krogan, or batarian (which had admittedly been a mistake she would only make once), they all enjoyed them immensely. But there was always a certain unabashed glee in Aethyta's obsession that Benezia found endearing and – given the right mood— even quite intoxicating.

Benezia watched as Aethyta took in the sight of her newly freed breasts, which had, since she'd become pregnant, swelled past even their usual matriarchal fullness. Aethyta sat perfectly still aside from the slight heaving of her chest at her already elevated breathing. Her stillness thrummed with an intensity that seemed to radiate across the small space between them on the bed, speaking of barely contained desires.

Just as Benezia started to worry that perhaps Aethyta might be having a change of heart and begin her propositioning once again, she brought her free hand up to her own mouth to wet two of her fingers. Aethyta took her time sliding her fingers into her mouth before she reached down to first pass them gently over her clit. She allowed herself such direct contact only fleetingly, however, soon spreading her fingers apart, gliding them down either side of that sensitive spot. After a few teasing touches, she moved lower, spreading herself open as she ran her fingers along the full extent of her slit. She repeated the motion a few times in an unhurried way, up and down, and up and down. Stopping to briefly toy with the very edges of her opening, she looked as if she was contemplating where best to start. All the while, she kept her eyes fixed on Benezia's breasts, with only the occasional break in her stare to quickly meet Benezia's gaze.

Satisfied that things were now underway, Benezia turned back to her work, holding the datapad slightly off to the side so Aethyta could still have an unobstructed view. It was starting to seem as though her lecture would never be ready, although she was looking forward to the trip nonetheless. In fact, she always enjoyed her visits to the University of Serrice; slightly larger than Armali University, it nevertheless had a certain charm about it that was attractive and inviting.

She did wish, however, that she had chosen a different topic for her guest lecture. The lecture was part of a series about the importance of interspecies cultural exchange, something Benezia cared about deeply. But she had chosen to speak about the influence of hanar culture on the arts in Thessia after being somewhat inspired by a particular collaboration of asari and hanar folk artists she had met a few years back. But after more research, she was beginning to think that those artists were a happy anomaly, and that no such influence actually exists. She would have to ask Aethyta for more insight into Kahje's fine arts, knowing that she had been bonded to a hanar for a few centuries once. To the outside world, it might seem as though Aethyta wouldn't be interested in culture's finer points, but Benezia knew that she could be quite sophisticated if she put her mind to it.

"Give that rack some attention."

Brought back to the present by Aethyta's words, Benezia looked up to see her bondmate run her fingers across the now slick wetness of her opening, and then bring them to rub her sensitive ridge in languid, imprecise circles. Aethyta's movements displayed none of the tense expectation that Benezia could still clearly see in her eyes.

"Play with 'em, I wanna see them move."

"I didn't realise that this would be so much work," Benezia replied.

"Nezzz-zyy!" Aethyta pleaded, her husky voice in as much a whine as it could manage.

In silent acquiescence, Benezia propped the datapad up where she could still see it, leaving her hands free to come up to her own breasts. Despite her slight protestation, Benezia really did want to see Aethyta pleased, and was glad that her body could still do so. It also helped that she wanted Aethyta to finish sooner rather than later, if not so she could get back to work (she was slowly giving up on that idea), then at least so she could rest.

She cupped a breast in each hand, running her thumbs gently over her nipples. She winced slightly at their sensitivity, deciding it best to avoid them for now. So instead she began to knead gently with her hands, her fingers and palms depressing the soft flesh as they moved. The motion elicited a slight grunt from Aethyta, who was now finally picking up her pace with more purposeful strokes.

Benezia hadn't fully realised how sore her breasts were. She had hoped that her body would have adjusted to the hormonal changes by now, and a part of her feared that it never would. Aethyta kept telling her not to worry, but that was easy for her to say—she'd had her daughters when she'd been in her matron stage, which is a whole different story. Benezia resolved to schedule another checkup soon. But for now, she deepened her massage, the pressure feeling quite good.

The slight change in pressure was not lost on Aethyta, whose breathing became more laboured, an audible tremble in each throaty exhale. Benezia wondered vaguely if Aethyta would ask her to do more, and was in the process of deciding whether or not she would if asked, when she noticed Aethyta's eyes getting glassy beneath heavy eyelids. Benezia recognized the look, and thought she may just be off the hook.

For good measure, Benezia began weighting and unweighting her breasts in her hands, and even teased her nipples, drawing circles around them and ever so slightly pinching their deep indigo peaks. Aethyta began fidgeting slightly, shifting her weight on the elbow that was still propping her up. With a curse under her breath, she brought the arm out from underneath her, allowing her upper body to lie flat on the bed, and quickly brought her newly freed hand to meet her other. Slipping her fingers inside, she soon matched the pace of the quick vertical strokes of her other hand.

Now clearly completely absorbed in her own pleasure, Aethyta's hands worked furiously, forearms straining. No longer being watched, Benezia stopped touching her breasts, but she remained staring at the view in front of her, always finding it curious that Aethyta didn't use her biotics more during sex. Something about the satisfaction of "good hard work," was the way Aethyta had put it once.

Her whole body tense, Aethyta began taking in deep, even breaths, as if trying to control the waves of rising pleasure coursing through her body. As she continued to watch, Benezia could feel Aethyta's mind completely open—not quite reaching out, but wholly exposed as she lay there in front of her. Benezia thought that it was no doubt unintentional, and actually shuddered at the thought of launching herself so suddenly into such passion, but it seemed so wonderfully characteristic of Aethyta: she did so much in life with a total sense of abandon. It was that recklessness which often caused such headaches for Benezia, and there were times when she thought being with Aethyta was preparing her quite well for having a child. But mostly—now at least—Benezia admired it, and wished that she herself didn't feel so constrained by the social and political pressures in her life.

A sharp intake of breath marked Aethyta's climax as her hips lifted off the bed, her hands working through the first pleasurable spasms. Despite herself, Benezia felt a strong sense of satisfaction that Aethyta was louder when she was being pleasured by her instead. Aethyta released the breath in one long, shuddering wave, thighs trembling slightly as her hands continued to work. It was times like these when Benezia thought that everything between her and Aethyta would work out. Well… not times _exactly_ like this, but the times when it was just the two of them, away from the rest of the galaxy, away from other commitments, away from a type of life that demanded so much.

Aethyta was riding through the last few twitches of her hips, and her hands had slowed down, providing only intermittent touches. Soon, she let out a satisfied sigh, bringing both arms to cross above her head on the bed as she stared at the ceiling.

Both she and Benezia remained where they were for some time, listening to the quiet of the room.

Her breathing finally returned to normal, Aethyta sat up and climbed over to Benezia, planting a big kiss on each of her breasts. Benezia rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips.

Aethyta flopped down beside her, settling into the bed, and draped a lazy hand over the bump of their unborn daughter. She closed her eyes.

Benezia furrowed her brow slightly as she thought once again of her unfinished work. She picked up her datapad and stared at it for a few seconds before placing it on the bedside table. Perhaps she would think of something enlightened on the drive to Serrice in the morning.

"Aethyta?" Benezia said softly.

"Meh?" Aethyta responded in a muffled, sleepy voice.

"Goodnight."

END


End file.
